Covid-19 Technical Lead at WHO, Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, has revealed some new information about the reinfection risk of countries that have shown a significant decline in their daily numbers of Coronavirus infections. She said that WHO is closely monitoring specific studies that are tracking the reinfection risk. For example, People who were previously infected with Omicron, can they be infected again? What is the risk of reinfection of BA.1 as compared to BA.2?
Well according to the latest findings shared by Kerkhove, WHO is not seeing a change in reinfection risk of people with BA.2 compared to BA.1. “We are not seeing a change in reinfection risk of people with BA.2 compared to BA.1. The other thing we are looking at, is if you look at the epi curves, remember the sharp, sharp increase in omicron in the incidence in cases and then that decline? One of the things that we are tracking very closely is to see that in that decline, and many countries are in that state of decline, but are we starting to see an increase again? and particularly in countries that have increased detection of BA.2, we’re not seeing that,” Kerkhove said.
She further added, “But as we are seeing that decline in cases in countries, we are not seeing an increase again with BA.2. That’s important and that’s something that we’re monitoring extremely closely because if we were to see an increase again, then this notion of reinfection would be more obvious. We’re not seeing that and I think that’s a good sign.”
It is worth noting that initial studies have suggested that vaccine effectiveness remains the same against symptomatic disease between BA.1 and BA.2. As per the preliminary results of a study in Denmark, vaccination is at least equally effective in preventing the catching of BA.2 infection and could be more effective in preventing transmission of BA.2 compared to the currently prevalent BA.1, reported IE.
from The Financial Express https://ift.tt/qgEXexW
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